Reasons to be Cheerful: Single with Kids in Pembroke #R2BC

 
We are just back from nearly 2 weeks of wonderful fun in Pembrokeshire with Single With Kids in time for plenty of reasons to be cheerful with Michelle! I will let the pictures do the talking. These are just some of the reasons that I ended up smiling so broadly:

1) Stunning beaches

2) Dragon!

Reasons to be Cheerful: Break Away #R2BC

 
Welcome to reasons to be cheerful this week! Lovely to read everyone's posts and look forward to more happy posts this week. Last weekend was spent at Rydal Hall with other single mums on a Single with Kids break. We had 3 fun days together which make up the majority of my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) A trail run
Some of the other mums also run so we went out at 8 on Saturday morning for a run along the coffin trail and back around Rydal Water. It was such a beautiful morning to take in the scenery in good company:

2) Beautiful location

Our accommodation was the bunkhouse at Rydal Hall which is in the grounds of the main house. In this photo it is the white building top right:

The children (and adults) were free to roam in both the formal and informal grounds which was perfect for a child friendly break.

3) Woodland surprises

My friend and I had fun on the sculpture trail looking for all the different sculptures and discovering all the hidden animals:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Single with Kids in Pembroke

I have just come back from 2 weeks just outside Pembroke at the National Trust's Stackpole Centre as  co-ordinator for Single with Kids. The Internet there turned out not to be up to blogging so thank you at Michelle for coming to the rescue this week and hosting. Two weeks in a beautiful spot with nearly 100 people (not all at once!) has given us many reasons to be cheerful:

1) Tenby

Beaches, history and arcades - classic British seaside fun.

2) Barafundle Bay

Remote, clean and with wonderful sand.

3) Pembroke Castle

Reasons to be Cheerful: Easter fun #R2BC

Thank you to Michelle for hosting in March its now over to me for the month of April! I do hope folks will continue to join in by linking and commenting. I will visit you all and share your posts. Here are my reasons to be cheerful this Easter holidays:
1) Single parent holiday
My son and I were co-ordinating a holiday for 42 people at the YHA in Sherwood Forest.  We love doing these as we get to meet new people and stay in new places. I may have been born in Nottingham but its not a part of the world I know well so it was good to return:

2) Farm fun
I have already blogged about the fun we had at White Post Farm. How could sights like this fail to raise your spirits:

3) Fun and Games

#CountryKids Broadhaven South beach

In August my son and I went to Stackpole in Pembrokeshire as co-ordinators for Single With Kids. We were staying in National Trust group accommodation close to the coast:

On our first day we had a group trip to the beach at Broadhaven South which required a walk through the woods:

Then we walked passed the Bosherton Lily Ponds with the 8 arch bridge at one end:

Reasons to be Cheerful the end of year round-up! #R2BC

As its the last Reasons to be Cheerful for 2016 I thought I would do a round-up of some of the biggest things that have made me cheerful this year. I will be handing the baton back to Michelle for January so I hope you will all carry on in 2017.

1) Completing my first (and last?) half marathon

One of the toughest things I have ever done was back in May when I ran in the inaugural Brathay Half Marathon. My finish line photo sums up what it meant to all of us:

Who knows if I will ever run one again...

2) Single with Kids holidays

We had our most ever trips with Single with Kids this year. With them we camped in the Peak District, Stourport and Kettering. There was also a trip to Robin Hood's Bay for a self-catering break. All of these put smiles on our faces:

3) Fun with family and friends

We are so lucky to be able to have great adventures almost on our doorstep. Adventures we have enjoyed have included:

• Wray Castle and Claife
• Cruising on Windermere
• Camping in Dent
• A weekend in Bowness
• Waterhead and Galava
• The Lakeland Maize Maze
• The Hobbit in Williamson Park
• Kirkby Lonsdale
• A walk on Hadrian's Wall
• A visit to Lanercost Priory

4) Family & Friends

Of course my family and friends have put plenty of smiles on my face this year too! Here is hoping for plenty of fun times in 2017 together too.

#CountryKids with Single With Kids camping at Wicksteed Park #WhateverTheWeather

Over the bank holiday we were down in Kettering on another Single With Kids camp. We had heard it was one of the best camps and so had been looking forward to it since booking in May! That may have had something to do with the fact that there is a small theme park on the site. After a horrendous bank holiday Friday drive we arrived to bright sunshine and pitched our tent in the rally field with the other families:

On the first night there were only about 30 families in the camp and most of us joined in the campfire fun after dark. This was my daughter topping the human pyramid:

Saturday morning dawned rather grey and with a rubbish forecast. We made sure everything was all secure before we set off to use our discounted wristbands in the theme park:

#CountryKids Single with Kids camp at Stourport on Severn

Last weekend we took a drive of over 3 hours on the Friday night to Stourport on Severn for another camping weekend with Single with Kids. In the rain it took us a while to pitch everything but by 9:45 we were all set up:

We were then able to go over to the party tent for company and marshmallows around the fire:

There was a campsite noise curfew after 11 PM but the children were able to still have fun with glow sticks:

#CountryKids Camping at Callow Top with Single With Kids

This weekend we finally got back around to going camping again after 2 years! Last year with moving house and poor weather we hadn't managed to go. So we dug out the kit, borrowed some of my parents' camping gear and headed off to Callow Top near Ashbourne for a Single With Kids camping weekend. An easy drive down meant that by 8 PM we had the tent and gazebo all set up (with a little help from some other campers) and ready for the weekend:

Eagle eyed readers will spot what it is that is missing from the above shot? I had to do a mad dash to the camp shop and plead with them not to lock up so I could by a regulator! A very helpful man used the photograph so that I could buy the right one and cook our tea (hot dogs in buns).

My son had been playing with some of the other children and my daughter had been off exploring when we were invited to the party tent to sit around the fire and the children were given marshmallows to toast:

At about 11 my son and I decided we were too tired to stay up and retired to our tent. My daughter stayed up a bit longer with some of the older children. The next morning I was up rather early as the sound of birds and sheep seemed really loud! It all looked very peaceful in our part of the camp:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Starting 2015 with a smile #R2BC

Thank you Jo for hosting the linky for this week as I was on holiday! Hopefully people will find plenty of reasons to be cheerful in this festive season! Let's try to carry on the positive thinking into 2015. I hope its a healthy and happy year for all the linkers:

1) Relaxed Christmas

We were with my parents and some other close family from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day and enjoyed good company, good food and lovely presents! I was dead chuffed with my first ever pavlova:

2) Single Parent break

We have just got back from a lovely single parent break at Stratford upon Avon Youth Hostel:

There were around 90 of us with exclusive use of the hostel for 2 nights which included day trips out and New Year's Eve party:

I will be writing about our days out separately!

3) Meeting family

Our family is quite a big one and we are good at staying in touch with lots of cousins. Today I introduced my children to my second cousin and her mum as we were passing close enough to their home to visit. They got to meet some of the gorgeous Rhodesian Ridgebacks that my cousin has (for my son's sake from behind a gate!):

Really hope we can see more of the family in 2015.

Single with Kids in Broad Haven

I got back last night from co-ordinating a Single With Kids in Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire. Having been on a variety of their trips to hotels and camping it was exciting to be left in charge for a week! We were staying at the Youth Hostel and had exclusive use of it for 6 nights.

It took me back to have to make my own bed in the room! We were in a 7 bunk room with just the 3 of us an en suite wet room/toilet. The hostel was really close to the beach:

We had so much fun including a sunset walk on the beach:

#CountryKids Camping in Derbyshire

After last week's trial run this weekend we headed to Callow Top Holiday Park near Ashbourne for our first ever single parent camping weekend with Single With Kids. On arrival it looked surprisingly familiar and I realised that I had been there 8 years ago with my then husband, his eldest 3 and my daughter! This time we were in a group of about 30 families in a field on our own at the top of the site. We were the last ones to arrive after our 2.5 hour drive and just managed to get the tent up before the sun set:

My children very quickly made friends with the 6 and 7 year old boys in the nearest tents and played games whilst I rustled up a very late BBQ. Then we went to the communal area to toast marshmallows and get to know the other families:

Are you feeling Christmassy yet?

With all this unseasonal weather its been hard to start even really thinking about Christmas - plus all the chaos caused by my poorly car! This weekend however I think things might change. Last year on this date I had headed off to Derbyshire for the Single With Kids Christmas weekend at Hargate Hall. We woke on the Saturday to snow which really put us all in the right mood for a Christmas themed weekend!

A year ago

This year I've not been able to afford to go but instead I'm able to take part at my church's (St Thomas' Kendal) Advent Fair selling Usborne books. I've spent a chunk of this evening getting the Christmas bits together for my stall and my daughter is running a nail bar next to me (very enterprising at aged 8!). With Sunday being the official start of Advent this is a Christmas themed event with lots going on and things to buy.


Next Friday is the inaugural Staveley Winter Festival and from 16:00-21:30 there are things happening all over the village:

I am running an Usborne stall in the Winter Festival Market based at World of Stone (No 3 on the map). I wish I was going to be able to see all the other things going on but guess I'll just have to send my family out to enjoy themselves with the grandparents instead! If you are in the area on the 2nd December it will be well worth a visit.

On the 3rd its my family's traditional "first Saturday in December" Christmas decorating day. The kids have a fairly free rein to cover the house in our Christmas decorations. We only have room for a 3ft fake tree but it will really gets us all feeling really Christmassy!

Single With Kids Xmas Party Weekend at Hargate Hall

First of all a big thank you to Chrissie at Single With Kids for inviting me along to this Christmas weekend with my children. I have been wanting to try out one their single parent holidays for a while now and this was too good an opportunity to miss!


The weekend guest list included about 35 children and their parents. The setting was Hargate Hall at Wormhill in Derbyshire which is a converted country house that is now holiday apartments with some communal areas. My children and I were very excited as we drove up a twisting country road in the dark and saw the lights of the house ahead. 

Silent Sunday: Snow fun

Single Parent Holidays

Before I got married and had children I used go on holiday with family or friends and never had a go on one of the single person specialist trips. I had considered it but was never brave enough!


Now I'm a single parent with 2 young children going on holiday throws in a whole new dimension. Most holiday packages are set-up for the "standard" family mum, dad and 2-3 children. The prices reflect this with rooms being based on cost of 2 adults and then children are "free". The other downside is that it always seems that everyone else are couples with kids and people ask where "daddy" (or mummy) is. Not a recipe for a relaxing time.


A few months ago I started tweeting with the lovely Chrissie from Single With Kids holidays. These are the "largest provider of single parent breaks in the UK" and organise a variety of weekends in the UK and trips abroad for single parents and their children. As they block book the holidays are cheaper than going solo and also you know that you will be with families in a similar situation to your own.